Iced Tea in the Making

Is there anything better than a large glass of iced tea on a hot summer day? It’s hard to imagine summer time without this refreshing drink in hand. However, iced tea has not always been popular among the masses. It wasn’t until a vendor at a fair changed the way we as a nation thought of tea.

Popularization of Iced Tea in St. Louis

St. Louis, known for their baseball team and now home to the Stanley Cup is the place where commercial iced tea was popularized. Before then sweet iced tea was a regional delight of the South and very few people had even heard of serving tea over ice. It was at the St. Louis World Fair in 1904, on a hot day, when a vendor by the name of Richard Blechynder wasn’t having luck selling hot tea. No one wanted the hot drink in the Missouri heat, so he started offering the beverage over ice. The iced tea product sold so well that it became a national favorite after the fair.

There’s a New Beverage In Town

Since then the US consumption of iced tea makes up 85% of all tea consumed. Iced tea can be found across the nation in restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, and vending machines in a variety of flavors. The drink is offered freshly brewed or in RTD packaging, often as an alternative to carbonated soda and coffee drinks.

Renewed Wave: Iced Tea Trends in 2019

Iced Tea is the latest rebirth focusing on health and wellness. Every expert has its day and this year takes on iced tea. Gone are the days when one might order iced tea to avoid soda while still needing a caffeinated pick-me-up. Iced Tea is now a specialty beverage. It’s sweet or unsweet, flavored or unflavored, cold brewed or expressed, the options aren’t limited. The tea drinkers are honoring zero sugar, added nutritional ingredients, and easy-to-consume options.

Newco Tea Solutions

Make your own tea even better with one of Newco’s tea solutions. We offer tea brewers, dispensers, and accessories for the following markets: restaurants, convenience stores, hospitality and office catered wellness. Better yet, expand your tea menu with the Cold Flavor Shot dispenser. We understand the brewing balance of steep time and temperature vs volume specification which are all adjustable, so your extraction is exactly the way you want it. Contact our Customer Service Team for more information about Newco’s tea solutions.

2019 is tea time. Enjoy Green, Black, Herbal or flavored varieties and the hydrating health benefits of tea. With wellness leading the consumer, it would be in good taste to up your tea profile and serve the very best brew possible.